Get a new view with implantable contact lenses

By Kim Kyle Morgan |
June 17, 2010

Relax, you won’t feel a thing, said Dr. Edward Wade to Craig Matus, as he uses a retractor to keep Matus’ eye open, makes a tiny incision, and then slips an implantable contact lens between Matus’ iris and natural lens.

He was right, Matus said. He didn’t feel a thing, and 15 minutes later Matus was the proud owner of implantable contact lenses and 20/20 vision.

Matus, a 38-year-old father of two who lives in Pearland, has been in glasses or contact lenses since third grade.

He considered LASIK, but was worried about potential side effects such as limited night vision and eye dryness.

“I could see fine with my contacts, so I didn’t know if it was worth the trade-off for the possible side effects of LASIK,” Matus said. “But I finally reached the point where I didn’t want to deal with contacts anymore. It’s a hassle.”

Matus went in for a consultation about LASIK, but learned he would be a good candidate for implantable contact lenses.

“There’s not any chance of having the side effects of LASIK, because you’re not messing with the cornea,” Matus said.

LASIK works by using a laser to reshape the cornea.

Wade said some patients can’t have LASIK, including those who are “too nearsighted,” or who have corneas that are too thin.

They would likely be good candidates for the implantable lenses, Wade said, but he won’t perform either operation if the patient’s eyes aren’t stable.

You know how it is.

Your vision seems to be getting worse, so you get glasses or contact lenses.

Soon, your vision changes again, and you get yet another pair of glasses.

But you really can’t do that with implantable contact lenses.

“That’s why we want to operate on a target that’s not moving anymore,” Wade said. “I recommend the prescription is stable for a period of 12 to 18 months.”

In addition to eye stability, there are other factors that determine who is a good candidate for implantable contact lenses.

According to Staar Surgical Company, the manufacturer of Visian ICL, candidates are between the ages of 21 and 45, suffer from myopia — nearsightedness — have not undergone any ophthalmic surgery and do not have a history of eye disease such as glaucoma, iritis or diabetic retinopathy.

There is the chance your vision will require further tweaking after the surgery.

Wade said it’s not possible to prevent progression of near-sightedness, so in the unusual event things change after going with an implantable lens, it can be fixed with LASIK.

But it’ll cost you.

Prices vary, but LASIK costs about $2,000 per eye, implantable contact lenses about $3,000 per eye.

One of the reasons implantable lenses are more expensive is because you have to actually buy the hardware. Wade said one implant costs about $1,000.

Something else to consider is that the procedure is intraocular.

Although the incision is tiny, it opens up the possibility for infection.

Wade said the use of antibiotic drops before and after surgery has been helpful.

He said some 20,000 implantable lenses have been put in nationally, with reports of only two infections.